Chrysanthemum Plant named &#39;GED17VIG8R&#39;

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant named ‘GED17VIG8R’, characterized by its upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant habit; vigorous growth habit; freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit; dark green-colored leaves; uniform and freely flowering habit; long flowering period; and relatively large decorative-type inflorescences with dark red purple-colored ray florets.

Botanical designation: Chrysanthemum X morifolium.

Cultivar denomination: ‘GED17VIG8R’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemum X morifolium and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘GED17VIG8R’.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium. The objective of the breeding program is to create new uniformly mounding and freely flowering Chrysanthemum plants with unique and attractive ray floret coloration.

The new Chrysanthemum plant is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘Vigorelli Violet’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,965. The new Chrysanthemum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single plant from within a population of plants in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in October, 2015.

Asexual reproduction of the new Chrysanthemum plant by vegetative terminal cuttings was first conducted in a controlled greenhouse environment in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium in January, 2016. Asexual reproduction by vegetative terminal cuttings has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘GED17VIG8R’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘GED17VIG8R’ as a new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant:

-   -   1. Upright, outwardly spreading and uniformly rounded plant         habit; vigorous growth habit.     -   2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plant habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   4. Uniform and freely flowering habit.     -   5. Long flowering period.     -   6. Relatively large decorative-type inflorescences with dark red         purple-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from the mutation parent, ‘Vigorelli Violet’, primarily in ray floret color as plants of ‘Vigorelli Violet’ have lighter red purple-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘PPP CONT 09’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 21,483. In side-by-side comparisons, plants of the new Chrysanthemum differ from plants of ‘PPP CONT 09’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum are more vigorous than plants         of ‘PPP CONT 09’.     -   2. Leaves of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are smaller and         lighter green in color than leaves of plants of ‘PPP CONT 09’.     -   3. Ray florets of plants of the new Chrysanthemum are darker red         purple in color than ray florets of plants of ‘PPP CONT 09’.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Chrysanthemum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Chrysanthemum plant. The photograph comprises a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘GED17VIG8R’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph and following observations and measurements describe plants grown in 19-cm containers in an outdoor nursery in Oostnieuwkerke, Belgium during the summer and autumn and under cultural practices generally used in commercial Chrysanthemum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 20° C. to 25° C. and night temperatures ranged from 12° C. to 18° C. Plants were 20 weeks old when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2005 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

BOTANICAL CLASSIFICATION Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘GED17VIG8R’. PARENTAGE Naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of Chrysanthemum X morifolium ‘Vigorelli Violet’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 23,965. PROPAGATION

-   Type: Vegetative terminal cuttings. -   Time to initiate roots, summer: About 14 days at temperatures about     20° C. -   Time to initiate roots, winter: About 20 days at temperatures about     20° C. -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer: About 30 days at     temperatures about 20° C. -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter: About 40 days at     temperatures about 20° C. -   Root description: Fine, fibrous; typically light brown in color,     actual color of the roots dependent on substrate composition, water     quality, fertilizer, substrate temperature and age of roots. Rooting     habit: Freely branching; medium density.

PLANT DESCRIPTION

-   Appearance: Perennial decorative-type Chrysanthemum; stems upright     and outwardly spreading giving a uniformly rounded appearance to the     plant; plants nearly spherical in overall shape; very freely     branching habit, about 25 primary lateral branches develop per     plant, each primary lateral branch with multiple secondary branches;     pinching is not required, however, will enhance lateral branch     development; dense and full plant habit; vigorous growth habit;     rapid growth rate. -   Plant height: About 50 cm. -   Plant width: About 65 cm. -   Lateral branches:     -   -   Length.—About 25 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 2 mm to 3 mm.         -   Internode length.—About 2 cm to 2.5 cm.         -   Strength.—Strong, flexible.         -   Aspect.—Upright to outwardly spreading.         -   Texture and luster.—Fine pubescence; longitudinally ridged;             matte.         -   Color.—Close to 144A. -   Leaves:     -   -   Arrangement.—Alternate, simple.         -   Length.—About 5.5 cm to 7 cm.         -   Width.—About 3.5 cm to 4 cm.         -   Apex.—Rounded to cuspidate.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Palmately lobed and serrate, sinuses between lateral             lobes divergent to parallel.         -   Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces.—Slightly             pubescent; matte.         -   Color.—Developing and fully expanded leaves, upper surface:             Close to 136A; venation, close to 148C. Developing and full             expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 137A; venation,             close to 147B to 147C.         -   Petioles.—Length: About 1 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Texture             and luster, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly pubescent;             slightly rough; matte. Color, upper surface: Close to 146C.             Color, lower surface: Close to 146D.

INFLORESCENCE DESCRIPTION

-   Appearance: Decorative-type inflorescence form; inflorescences borne     on terminals above foliar plane; disc and ray florets arranged     acropetally on a capitulum. -   Fragrance: Faintly fragrant, pungent. -   Flowering time: Under natural season conditions, plants flower in     early October in Belgium; response time is about 47 days. -   Postproduction longevity: Inflorescences maintain good color and     substance for about six weeks on the plant grown in an outdoor     nursery; inflorescences persistent. -   Quantity of inflorescences: Freely flowering habit with about 20     inflorescences developing per lateral branch with numerous     inflorescences developing per plant. -   Inflorescence buds:     -   -   Height.—About 5 mm.         -   Diameter.—About 8 mm.         -   Shape.—Globular.         -   Texture and luster.—Smooth, glabrous; matte.         -   Color.—Close to 59A. -   Inflorescence size and shape:     -   -   Diameter.—Relatively large, about 5 cm to 5.5 cm.         -   Depth (height).—About 4 cm.         -   Disc diameter.—About 1 mm. -   Receptacles:     -   -   Diameter.—About 3 mm.         -   Height.—About 2.5 mm to 3 mm.         -   Shape.—Circular; raised dome.         -   Texture and luster.—Smooth, glabrous; matte.         -   Color.—Close to 144B. -   Ray florets:     -   -   Quantity and arrangement.—More than 200 ray florets per             inflorescence arranged in about ten whorls.         -   Length.—About 3 cm to 4 cm.         -   Width.—About 6 mm.         -   Shape.—Oval.         -   Apex.—Rounded.         -   Base.—Attenuate.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Aspect.—Mostly flat.         -   Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth,             glabrous; matte.         -   Color.—When opening, upper surface: Close to 59A. When             opening, lower surface: Close to 59B. Fully opened, upper             surface: Close to 59B; color becoming closer to 181B with             development. Fully opened, lower surface: Close to 185B;             color becoming closer to 184D with development. -   Disc florets:     -   -   Quantity and arrangement.—Less than 20 disc florets per             inflorescence and spirally massed at the center of the             receptacle; mostly inconspicuous.         -   Length.—About 3 mm.         -   Diameter.—About 0.5 mm to 1 mm.         -   Shape.—Tubular, elongated; apices acute.         -   Texture and luster.—Smooth, glabrous; glossy.         -   Color.—Apex: Close to 144C. Mid-section: Close to 5B. Base:             Close to 145D. -   Phyllaries:     -   -   Quantity and arrangement.—About 25 phyllaries per             inflorescence arranged in about two or three whorls.         -   Length.—About 4 mm to 6 mm.         -   Width.—About 2 mm to 3 mm.         -   Shape.—Ovate.         -   Apex.—Rounded.         -   Base.—Rounded to truncate.         -   Margin.—Entire; translucent.         -   Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces.—Smooth,             glabrous; matte.         -   Color, upper surface.—Close to 137A.         -   Color, lower surface.—Close to N137B. -   Peduncles:     -   -   Length, terminal peduncle.—About 4 cm.         -   Length, fourth peduncle.—About 6 cm.         -   Length, seventh peduncle.—About 8 cm.         -   Diameter.—About 2 mm.         -   Angle, lateral peduncles.—About 30° from vertical.         -   Strength.—Moderately strong.         -   Texture and luster.—Slightly pubescent; matte.         -   Color.—Close to 146B. -   Reproductive organs:     -   -   Androecium.—None observed.         -   Gynoecium.—None observed. -   Seeds and fruits: Seed and fruit production have not been observed     on plants of the new Chrysanthemum to date.

DISEASE & PEST RESISTANCE

Resistance to pathogens and pests common to Chrysanthemum plants has not been observed on plants of the new Chrysanthemum grown under commercial production conditions to date.

GARDEN PERFORMANCE Plants of the new Chrysanthemum have demonstrated excellent garden performance and will tolerate temperatures ranging from about 0° C. to about 45° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Chrysanthemum plant named ‘GED17VIG8R’ as illustrated and described. 